Base: downtown Charleston, all three nights. From Charleston International Airport it is about 20 to 25 minutes by car or taxi to downtown. The Battery seawall, White Point Garden and Waterfront Park are free and open every day. The Old Exchange and Provost Dungeon on East Bay Street is open Monday to Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday from 11 a.m., about $16 for adults and $12 for ages 7 to 12. Pace: easy for kids: about two hours of flat walking in the afternoon, broken up by a park with cannons, a dungeon and a fountain to splash at.
The Battery and White Point Garden
At the tip of the peninsula, the Battery is a high seawall promenade with views over the harbour to Fort Sumter, lined with grand houses. Behind it, White Point Garden has big live oaks, old cannons and monuments that kids can walk around and count.
Expert tip: walk the seawall from White Point Garden north along East Battery in the late afternoon: the low sun lights the house fronts, and you can point out Fort Sumter on the water so kids know where tomorrow’s ferry goes.
Rainbow Row
A few blocks north on East Bay Street, Rainbow Row is a run of thirteen old merchant houses in pastel pinks, blues and yellows. It is the city’s most photographed street, and kids enjoy picking a favourite colour.
The houses are private homes; take photos from the sidewalk and keep voices down. Keep walking north and the street opens onto the old wharves, where kids can watch tugboats and container ships moving up the Cooper River, and on many mornings pelicans gliding low along the water. Side streets such as Chalmers Street still have their old cobbles, a fun change underfoot after the seawall.
The Old Exchange and Provost Dungeon
The Old Exchange at the end of Broad Street was the colonial customs house, and its brick dungeon below held prisoners during the American Revolution. Costumed interpreters tell the story in a way that works for kids, and the dark brick vaults are the part they remember.
Allow about 1 hour, and check the site for the day’s hours before you go. Upstairs, the Great Hall is where George Washington was entertained on his journey through the South in 1791, and the exhibits on the colonial port, pirates and the Revolution are short enough for younger kids to follow.
Waterfront Park and dinner
Where to eat: lunch at Jestine’s Kitchen on Meeting Street for Southern home cooking, and dinner at Hyman’s Seafood, a family favourite near the City Market; both get busy, so go early.
Waterfront Park’s Pineapple Fountain is a short walk from the Exchange; in warm weather kids wade in it, and at dusk the pier swings face the harbour.
Charleston International Airport → downtown: about 20 to 25 minutes by car. White Point Garden → Rainbow Row: about 10 minutes on foot. Rainbow Row → the Old Exchange: about 5 minutes. Old Exchange → Waterfront Park: about 5 minutes.
Where to stay
- Francis Marion Hotel — a historic hotel on Marion Square with family rooms, close to King Street and the aquarium.
- The Mills House — a historic hotel on Meeting Street with a courtyard and a pool, a short walk from the Battery.
Dinner: Hyman’s Seafood near the City Market, or a casual spot on East Bay Street.
Tomorrow: the Fort Sumter ferry from Liberty Square, about 10 minutes by car from Marion Square.
Bad-weather plan
On a stormy day, keep the walk short and go indoors: the Old Exchange and Provost Dungeon, then the covered stalls of the City Market on Market Street, and the Charleston Museum on Meeting Street for its replica of the Hunley submarine (check its hours).
Stay: downtown Charleston base · Anchor: the Battery and Rainbow Row · Battery free; Old Exchange about $16 adult
Good to know: Downtown sidewalks are old and uneven; a light stroller or a carrier is easier than a big buggy.
